Deep in conversation, they walked back to their room, each girl in good spirits at the prospect of a school ball where there would be boys, music and possibly even dancing.
***
On hearing that their next lesson was flying, the girls had felt anxious about how to get their broomsticks out of the wardrobe without the prefects there to watch over them. To their surprise as soon as they had entered the room, the wardrobe spat their broomsticks out at them.
After lunch, Miss Firmfeather greeted her new students by whizzing around the flying arena on her broomstick.
They watched in awe as she did loop-the-loops and then stood-up and balanced on it.
‘That was amazing,’ Gerty said to the others, as she clung tightly onto her broomstick.
‘Hello, girls.’ Miss Firmfeather smiled, as she balanced on her broom in front of them, her arms casually folded. ‘I am Miss Firmfeather, and I shall be teaching you how to fly your broomsticks. Flying has always been my favorite part of being a witch, and I hope that it will be yours too.
‘I see that you all have your brooms and I know that you’ll be eager to get started, but first I need to tell you the rules.’ There were moans from some of the girls. ‘Rules are important and must be carried out so that everyone remains safe. Firstly, there will be no flying unless I have instructed you to do so. If I tell you to stop flying, then you will do so immediately. If you fall off, don’t panic as the ground is enchanted and you will bounce off it. I want you all to enjoy these lessons but also to take your flying lessons seriously. Controlling a broomstick may look easy, but that only comes with plenty of practice.’
‘Miss,’ Margaret shot her hand into the air and Miss Firmfeather looked at her. ‘I’ve been flying for years, so I think I may be too advanced for this class.’
‘You will have to start at the beginning just like all the other girls,’ Miss Firmfeather said, sitting down crossed-legged on her broomstick. ‘Flying is the gateway to new experiences and to be able to see the world. I’ve flown to faraway lands on my broomstick and have floated above places that ordinaries have only ever read about in books.’
‘There is a correct way to fly a broomstick and a safe way, and I shall teach you these,’ she looked at all the girls, pausing for a moment longer at Margaret.
With her broom in-between her legs, Miss Firmfeather’s hands gripped the broomstick in front of her, and she told the girls to copy her pose.
‘Great, now lean slightly forwards and then take your feet off the ground.’ Miss Firmfeather took her feet off the ground and hovered on the spot.
Margaret was the first to lift her feet, looking bored as she watched the other girls nervously take their feet from the ground and grip onto their broomstick tightly as they flew up into the air.
‘That’s great girls, now we’re going to practice going up and down,’ instructed Miss Firmfeather. She demonstrated flying up and then down in a swift movement.
Most of the girls seemed to master this fairly quickly, except for a petite girl called Fiona, who kept flying higher and higher and seemed unable to figure out how to fly down.
‘Wait here and keep practicing girls,’ Miss Firmfeather said before she flew up to rescue Fiona.
Margaret waited until Miss Firmfeather had flown away before she stopped flying in an up and down direction, then swooped above the other girls.
‘You’re not supposed to be doing that,’ Stef said, as she wobbled on her broom.
‘I am far more advanced at flying than you babies; she took her hands off her broom as she flew at Stef, who half-ducked, half fell onto her broom, only just managing to hang on.
‘I’d say come and catch me…but as if that’s ever going to happen,’ Margaret smirked.
Charlotte had never been on a broomstick before, yet she was managing to fly up and down with ease. At least that was until Margaret flew into her and caused her to tumble off her broomstick and onto the ground. Thankfully, though, she bounced off.
Margaret smirked again as she flew back over to Demi and went back to flying up and down. Charlotte’s arm hurt from where Margaret had flown into her, and she rubbed it as she picked up her broomstick.
‘Tumbles are expected,’ Miss Firmfeather said as she looked at Charlotte, one of her hands holding onto Fiona’s broom as she guided her down. ‘With practice and determination, you’ll soon master this skill,’ she smiled.
Charlotte felt annoyed, she hadn’t struggled with flying at all, and she’d only fallen off because of Margaret. She wondered what the girl’s problem was and if she would ever stop being so mean to everyone. Surely bullying was against the Academy’s code of conduct.
At the end of the lesson, Miss Firmfeather flew into the air and waved at them, before she flicked out her wand and turned her broomstick into a huge rhinoceros, which she glided through the sky above the castle.
‘I want to be able to do that,’ Gerty said. ‘Well maybe not a rhinoceros, I’d prefer a unicorn, with a shiny pink mane and a dazzling white horn.’
Charlotte nodded, thinking that all she wanted was to be able to fly without Margaret making things difficult for her.
Chapter Ten
It was the next morning, and the girls were waiting outside for their fitness lesson. Alice had been going on and on about how good she was at fitness. But the others were more apprehensive about what Miss Dread might have in store for them.
When they arrived to find Miss Dread standing on her hands with her legs twisted around her head and a pile of hedgehogs to the side of her, they found themselves feeling even more concerned.
‘Good morning darlings, today you shall be indulging in a game of hedgehog dodgeball,’ Miss Dread said, before she untwisted herself and stood up on her feet.
‘We’re throwing those?’ Stef pointed to the hedgehogs, and Miss Dread nodded. ‘But they’re so prickly.’
‘A little prickle won’t hurt, and I find that it makes you work far harder than if it was just a normal, boring ball like the ordinaries use.’
‘What do you think about this, Alice?’ Stef asked, expecting her to moan.
‘I think it sounds like fun,’ she replied, which caused Stef to roll her eyes.
‘Right girls, we’ll have two teams, you darling, can be one team captain.’ She pointed at Charlotte. ‘And you, darling, can be the other,’ she pointed to Margaret.
‘You can pick first,’ she gestured to Margaret.
‘Demi.’
‘Erm, Gerty,’ Charlotte said, hoping that she hadn’t offended Stef or Alice by not choosing them first.
‘Stef,’ Margaret smirked.
‘Not the toads!’ Stef shouted, which caused Miss Dread to glare at her. Reluctantly she walked over and stood beside Margaret.
‘Alice.’ Charlotte indicated her friend.
‘Melody,’ Margaret said, and a girl with chin-length brown hair walked over and stood by her.
‘Patricia.’ Charlotte nodded.
They continued to choose until their teams were full and then they began the game.
‘Begin on my clap and remember darlings, if you’re hit, then you’re out. If one of the spikey little creatures is coming towards you, you must catch it,’ Miss Dread said before she clapped her hands together.
Margaret was the first to throw her hedgehog, hitting Patricia on the arm and causing her to squeal loudly. Charlotte picked up the hedgehog and threw it back at Margaret, but she ducked, and Demi caught it in her hands.
Charlotte managed to throw one at Stef, prickling her on her leg before she caught it. Another girl on the team threw one back, but it scratched Charlotte’s arm and then dropped to the ground. Charlotte was out of the game.
Alice seemed very good at dodging the hedgehogs but not so skilled at throwing them. Although she didn’t complain, not once. Not even when Margaret finally managed to hit her on her side.
Stef seemed super competitive, regardless of whose team she was on, and she chucked a hedgehog at Gerty
, which prickled her on her bottom.
‘Ow, ow, ow,’ Gerty squealed out, as she hobbled her way over to the sideline and stood next to Charlotte.
‘Stef is ruthless when you get her in a team; I think you should have picked her first,’ Gerty said.
Charlotte grinned. ‘I’ll remember that next time.’
Margaret and Stef were the last girls left, so Margaret’s team were declared the winners and Miss Dread handed them all a color changing sweet.
‘That’s all for now, darlings, go and get ready for breakfast,’ Miss Dread said, as she waved them all off.
‘Sorry,’ Stef said to Gerty, as she walked up alongside her.
‘That’s okay, although I never want to be on the opposite team as yours again.’
‘Bleurgh.’ She almost choked, and Gerty looked at her oddly.
‘The sweet changed to blackcurrant flavor, yuck. It’s okay because now it’s changed to strawberry.’
Gerty grinned. ‘I hope it goes back to blackcurrant.’
‘Sore loser,’ Stef chuckled, emphasizing the word - sore.
***
After breakfast, Molly escorted them to their next lesson, and they entered the classroom to see a stunningly beautiful woman with chestnut hair pinned elegantly back.
They all took their seats (which Gerty found difficult, thanks to Stef and the hedgehog) and looked at the woman in awe.
‘She’s like a fairy princess,’ Gerty whispered to Charlotte.
When all the girls had taken their seats, the woman gently rose to her feet and studied each of them.
‘I am Miss Scarlet, the teacher of spells. I’m sure that the majority of you have heard about the Book of Spells. This book contains most of the spells that exist, everything from basic spells such as lifting an object to the more advanced ones such as changing an object’s appearance. During your time at the Academy, we will work through this book and teach you many spells.’ She was well spoken, her tone refined.
‘Miss?’ Stef shot her hand up, and Miss Scarlet looked at her. ‘Is the Book of Spells kept at this school?’
‘Where or where not it lays, is not of importance to you. The spells that you will be studying are in the textbook you will find in front of you.,’ she picked up a leather-bound book.
‘We will be doing a spell today, but first I must warn you, spell making isn’t an exact science and things can go wrong. You must take my classes seriously and with the utmost respect. I know that young witches like to experiment, but you must remember the Academy’s code of conduct at all times.’
‘Please, can you all turn to page four in your books.,’ She opened her textbook and held it up for them to see. ‘Today you are going to learn how to use your wands with a simple throw and return spell. Your partner will be the girl closest to you.’ Stef turned to look at Gerty and Charlotte to Alice.
‘One of you will say ‘cup go’ as you throw a cup at your partner,’ she held up a glass cup. ‘The other will flick their wand out in front of them, like this.’ She tightly held onto her wand as she gave it a stern flick in front of her. ‘While you are doing this, you need to focus on how you want the cup to stop. View your wand as a barricade that’s there to protect you.’
‘You!’ she pointed at a worried looking girl in the front row. ‘Please throw your cup at me while saying ‘cup go.’
The girl nodded, she stood up and said the words ‘cup go,’ as the cup flew towards the teacher. Miss Scarlet flicked her wand out swiftly in front of her, and the cup stopped abruptly and fell to the ground, where it bounced off the hard floor and flew back to the thrower.
‘That’s how it’s done. Now it’s your turn. Remember what I said about focusing on your wand. The strongest witches are those who successfully know how to channel their wands. You must think of your wand as an extension of your mind and body.’
Alice shrieked as a cup hit her head, but on her third attempt, she managed to stop the cup in front of her, a huge smile on her face.
Stef and Gerty were struggling, and neither of them could seem to master this spell. Miss Scarlet went over to them and demonstrated how they needed to flick out their wand.
Charlotte glanced at Margaret, who had stopped the cup every time. She looked bored. Seeing that Miss Scarlet was distracted with Gerty and Stef, Margaret used her wand to fill her cup with dragon’s wee.
‘Empty yourself over Charlotte’s head,’ Margaret said to the cup, smirking as she watched it whiz across the room, stop over Charlotte’s head and then soak her in the foul yellow liquid.
Charlotte shrieked out and watched as the cup flew back to Margaret who stood there smirking.
‘Oops.’ She feigned an apologetic look.
‘What is going on?’ Miss Scarlet asked sternly.
‘It was an accident,’ Margaret replied innocently.
‘You can escort Charlotte back to her room so that she can change her clothes.’
‘It was only a bit of liquid; it’s not like it has hurt her. Besides, I want to be here for the lesson.’
‘This is not up for discussion and may I suggest that you use this time to think about your behavior as I can assure you that I shall not tolerate disobedience.’ Miss Scarlet glared, the annoyance evident on her face.
Charlotte and Margaret did not say a word to each other as they walked towards Charlotte’s room. Charlotte was upset as she was just getting the hang of the cup spell and now, she had to waste the lesson time. She was there to learn, not fall victim to Margaret’s bullying games. She found herself worried that Margaret would always try to ruin things for her and result in her falling behind in her lessons.
After changing out of her wet smelly clothes and taking a quick shower, Charlotte left her room to see that Margaret was still standing outside, her arms folded. She immediately began to walk off, and Charlotte followed her.
As they passed the library, Margaret unfolded her arms and forced a smile. ‘Can we stop here for a bit? There’s a book I want to find out about.’
Charlotte nodded, she wanted to get back to class and thought that Margaret could look for this book afterward, but she also did not want to get on the wrong side of her. As they walked nearer to the entrance, Margaret stopped and turned to Charlotte.
‘I need to be able to trust you with a secret,’ Margaret said, and Charlotte nodded. ‘In this library is a very powerful and special book called Salem Secrets and it contains spells that very few witches know about. My mother told me about it, and I just know that I need to find it and read it. Promise me that you won’t tell anyone Charlotte, you want to be my friend, don’t you? You have to help me because if you tell anyone, then we’ll be enemies forever.’
‘I guess I could help you,’ Charlotte said reluctantly, feeling trapped and nervous.
‘Great!’ Margaret grinned. ‘You can distract Mistress of the Books while I find it.’
Charlotte had a bad feeling but knew that if she didn’t go along with Margaret, then the rift between them would only grow worse.
After seeing that the Mistress of the Books was sitting behind her desk reading a book, Charlotte walked over to her, trying to calm herself as she stopped in front of the desk and coughed to clear her throat.
‘Ex-excuse me,’ she squeaked, and the Mistress of the Books looked up. ‘I was wondering if you could help me? You see my dad is an ordinary, and I have no idea on even the most basic skills of witchcraft.’
The Mistress of the Books looked impressed at Charlotte’s diligence and desire to learn. Standing, she walked around the desk and smiled.
‘Of course, follow me.’ She led Charlotte over to the beginners’ section of the library and pulled out a book.
‘Newbies Guide to Witchcraft by Gloria Arlington,’ the book boomed.
‘Now this book has everything you need to get you started. It also explains magic to you in a non-confusing way, and I highly recommend it.’ she held it out to Charlotte. ‘Follow me; there are plenty more books I can fi
nd for you.’
While this was happening, Margaret entered the library and sneaked across the room before she crawled her way over to the restricted area. She grabbed a worn looking black leather book. ‘The Darkest of Spirits by Garrent Worthington,’ it announced. She looked over her shoulder before she put it back and grabbed another one. ‘Desiree’s Dark Magic, by Desiree Penelope Fancroft.’
Margaret felt frustrated, she didn’t have much time, and she couldn’t find the book she was looking for. She held her wand out in front of her and looked at it.
‘Salem Secrets come to me, quickly now so I can see.’
Flames appeared, engulfing a whole section of books in a heat of embers and scarlet flames.
While the Mistress of the Books was pulling out a book, Charlotte looked over her shoulder to see the back of Margaret hurriedly leaving the library. She looked over to the restricted area and saw a shadow of smoke appearing. Rushing quickly over there, she was horrified to see that flames were burning some of the ancient books. She tried to put out the fire, wafting the flames with her hands…but this only seemed to make them worse.
The Mistress of the Books looked up and saw what was happening. Aiming her wand at the flames, she chanted a spell. The flames disappeared, and the books appeared undamaged.
‘You!’ the Mistress of the Books glared at Charlotte accusingly.
‘I didn’t do it.’ Her voice was timid.
‘To the head-witchress’ Office NOW!’
***
Charlotte had spent the last few hours stuck in a dark, windowless room. It contained a hard-looking bed and an old wooden chair, which she sat on, hoping that she wouldn’t be in there long enough to need the bed. Tapping her fingers against its frame, she wondered what would happen to her.
Charlotte knew that she’d been stupid, of course. Margaret would not have stayed around to take the blame. Now Charlotte was in serious trouble while Margaret was no doubt carrying on without a care for the mess she’d caused. Charlotte should have refused to distract the Mistress of the Books. Instead, she should have simply returned to class. She didn’t need Margaret as a friend; she’d always known that which made what she had done even more foolish.
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